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Real-world projects sought for Penn State Smeal MBA student teams

August 23, 2013

Real-world projects sought for Penn State Smeal MBA student teams

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Smeal College of Business MBA Program’s Applied Professional Experience (APEX) is now accepting project submissions from company clients for 2014. APEX, the capstone experience for second-year master of business administration students, is seeking real-world business challenges for student teams to tackle from early January through the end of April.

“APEX provides students with an exceptional learning experience where they apply all they have learned at Smeal to a real world project, and it’s also incredibly valuable for clients, who get help with current business challenges from teams of talented young professionals.”

-- APEX director David Lenze

APEX provides clients with the fresh perspective and analytical skill of a student team with a wide range of talents, and students benefit from the opportunity to sharpen their professional abilities through experiential learning.

MBAs tackle the projects in cross-functional teams of four or five students. Teams typically invest upwards of 500 hours into their projects, which have been sponsored in the past by clients ranging from large multinationals like Johnson & Johnson and Motorola to small startups and everything in between.

“APEX provides students with an exceptional learning experience where they apply all they have learned at Smeal to a real world project,” said APEX director David Lenze, “and it’s also incredibly valuable for clients, who get help with current business challenges from teams of talented young professionals.”

There is no fee to the client outside of covering student expenses such as videoconferencing or necessary travel. The deadline for project submissions is Oct. 31, but earlier submission increases likelihood of inclusion.

You can learn more about APEX and see examples of past projects at www.smeal.psu.edu/apex/smeal-ice, where you can also submit your project ideas online. To talk further about the program and its project requirements, contact David Lenze at dlenze@psu.edu or 814-863-5761.

About the Penn State Smeal MBA ProgramThe internationally ranked residential MBA Program of the Smeal College of Business is focused on positioning students for their future careers. The two-year program begins with a focus on business fundamentals. Through a summer internship and elective courses, students then personalize their Smeal MBA experience to align with their career aspirations.